New Programs Tell Alabama's Story

Alabama Public Television is pleased to announce the premieres of two new programs it will be sharing with audiences throughout Alabama beginning in October.

ALABAMA INC.

Alabama Inc. is a half hour, in-depth look at business and finance stories happening in the state of Alabama. NPR, Marketplace, and Bloomberg correspondent Gigi Douban hosts the program that features one-on-one profiles of some of the state’s most successful business professionals, trends off the beaten path, and analysis.

“Alabama Inc. is about more than the bottom line,” Douban says. “It is about businesses and the people behind those businesses, about their lives, and about how these businesses affect us.”

Each episode of Alabama Inc. will begin with a feature piece that takes an Alabama view on national storylines in business. The program will then profile successful individuals in business with ties to our state. The final segment is a quirky look at economic questions for everyday life.

Alabama Inc. will air Wednesday nights at 10:00pm beginning Oct. 2. The program will be followed at 10:30pm by a new PBS series, Start Up, which follows the stories of modern American entrepreneurs.

ALABAMA LIFE

Travel from the urban landscape of Birmingham to the beaches of Mobile and the mountains of Fort Payne in the TV magazine series Alabama Life. The series, which is produced at the University of Alabama, finds the intriguing people, awesome eats, and beautiful places that make up the wonderful state of Alabama.

Each episode will feature three unique things to visit and enjoy in Alabama. The format includes one adventurous feature, one artistic or interesting place or event, and one acclaimed or hidden gem type restaurant. The episodes conclude with 2 minutes from a beautiful location in the state.

Alabama Life will air Sunday afternoons at 12:30pm beginning Oct. 6, following the ever-popular outdoor series Discovering Alabama.

PARTNERSHIP

Alabama Inc. and Alabama Life are both productions of the University of Alabama Center for Public Television and Radio, which has provided programming for Alabama Public Television since the creation of the state network in the 1950s. The first opera broadcast on television was a UA music department production. Other long-running series over the years have included Pianist at Work, Martha’s Sewing Room, and Alabama Experience. The weekly series Bookmark is seen Sunday mornings at 11:00am on APT.

“Our partnership with the University of Alabama has been important in APT’s ability to tell Alabama’s story, along with the many Emmy award-winning series and specials we produce here,” says Roy Clem, executive director for APT. “We’re pleased to share these two great programs now – and look to broadcasting more in the near future.”

APT is also working with other universities and organizations around the state to develop new programs in the future. “We have many stories to tell here in Alabama, and there are many important educational projects and training opportunities that APT is uniquely able to develop with our partners.”